Fated to Part

Chapter 2

After that news he still remembers the day he met her. It was a boring night, and he was browsing the internet on his laptop. He stumbled upon a chat room where people shared their interests and hobbies.

He joined the conversation and saw her username: StarryNight. She was   talking about her passion for astronomy and art. He was intrigued by her and sent her a private message. She replied and they started chatting. He learned that her name was Maisei, she was 16 years old, and she lived in New York.

He told her that his name was Asher, he was 16 years old, and he lived in Los Angeles. They had so much in common, and he felt a connection he had never felt before. They exchanged their email addresses and phone numbers, and agreed to chat again soon.

 He chatted with her every day, and soon they were inseparable. They texted, called, emailed, and video chatted whenever they could. They shared their dreams, their fears, their secrets, and their jokes. They sent each other pictures, videos, songs, and poems. They made each other happy.

 He still remembers the day he lost her. It was a stormy night, and he was waiting for her to call him. He checked his phone and saw that she had sent him an email. He opened it and read it with horror. It was from her sister, who told him that Maisei had died in a cancer that evening.

She said that Maisei had left him a letter, which she attached to the email. He clicked on it and saw Maisei's handwriting. She wrote: "Dear Asher, I love you more than anything in the world. You are the best thing that ever happened to me. You make me feel alive, even when I'm dying. Yes, I'm dying. I have been for a while. I have a rare disease that affects my brain. The doctors said I wouldn't live past 19. But I didn't want to tell you, because I didn't want to hurt you or make you pity me. I wanted to enjoy every moment with you, as if it was our last. But now it is our last. I'm sorry I can't say goodbye to you in person. I'm sorry I can't hug you or kiss you or tell you how much I love you one more time. But please don't be sad for me. Don't blame yourself or anyone else for what happened. Don't let this ruin your life or your dreams. Remember me as I was: happy, hopeful, and in love with you. Remember our chats, our calls, our emails, our video chats. Remember our songs, our poems. Remember our starry nights. I'll always be with you in spirit, watching over you from the sky. I'll always be waiting for you online. I love you. Maisei" He felt a surge of pain, anger, and disbelief.

He refused to accept it. He wanted to see her, to hold her, to tell her he loved her. But he couldn't. She was gone. He still remembers the day he buried her online. It was a clear day, and he was sitting on his phone with a bunch of virtual flowers in his hand.

He logged into the chat room where they met and saw her username: StarryNight. He clicked on it and saw her profile picture: a smiling face with a starry background. He placed his flowers on her profile page and typed, "I love you. I'll wait for you online."

 He still waits for her online. Every day, he goes to the chat room where they met and sits on the same virtual bench where they chatted. He reads the same emails she sent him with her pen name: StarryNight.

He looks at the letter she left him with her real name: Maisei. He calls her number every night, hoping to hear her voice again. But he only gets a message saying that the number is no longer in service. He knows she's not coming back online. He knows he's living in the past online .

He knows he should move on with his life offline . But he can't offline . He loves her too much online to let her go offline .

 He still waits for her online .